Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the highly anticipated El Clasico meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Bernabeu.
Jose Mourinho's Madrid currently lead their great rivals by three points at the top of the La Liga table, meaning a loss for Pep Guardiola's European Champions would leave them facing an uphill struggle to retain their Spanish crown.
Guardiola's men have already had to battle against rodents and the foggy conditions in preparation for the match, but will Los Blancos prove to be a sterner test this evening?
> Full team news for this evening's match.
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00min: The biggest game in club football begins with the visitors kicking-off.
01min: GOAL! KARIM BENZEMA - 23 SECONDS - MADRID 1-0 BARCA. Victor Valdes gives the ball away to Angel Di Maria. He finds Mesut Ozil, whose shot spins in the direction of Benzema to score from close range. WOW! What a start.
03min: As you'd expect the Bernabeu is currently bouncing but the calmest man in stadium appears to be coach Jose Mourinho. More pressure on Valdes but this time the keeper deals with it.... just.
05min: Real Madrid really are pressing Barca while they are in possession. More mistakes look likely right now.
06min: Lionel Messi's first involvement and he's through with Iker Casillas to beat. However, the Spanish goalkeeper is equal to his effort and tips it wide. Heart in mouth stuff for Real.
07min: The first foul of the match, with Fabio Coentrao bringing down Alexis Sanchez. No card is given, although there quite easily could have been.
09min: Guardiola prowls the touchline as he tries to plot a way for his side to get back into the match. Barca are now enjoying more possession, but Madrid look dangerous on the break.
11min: Benzema leaps highest to meet a Di Maria cross but his header is easily saved by Valdes.
13min: Another bad clearance from Valdes and Xabi Alonso shoots from virtually the halfway line (Liverpool fans will know about this only too well). Unfortunately his effort is tame and is cleared by Gerard Pique.
14min: Di Maria is down with a groin injury and doesn't look comfortable. Could be an early night for the Argentinian.
16min: What do we know?! Di Maria returns and chases down the ball at full speed. Couldn't have been that bad!
18min: It is currently raining in the Spanish capital and the conditions are toying with Barca's style. Eric Abidal tries to pick out Andres Iniesta but the ball runs out of play.
19min: Cristiano Ronaldo (forgot he was playing!) springs into life and stings the palms of Valdes with a shot from distance. The Portuguese playmaker has livened up.
22min: Everything Barca are doing at the moment is either under or over hit. Messi the culprit on this occasion, failing to pick out Cesc Fabregas, who had burst through the Madrid defence.
23min: Fabregas goes down on the edge of the area and wins a free-kick. Xavi and Messi stand over it, with the former forcing Casillas to push the ball over the bar.
25min: Should be 2-0 to Madrid. Benzema feeds Ronaldo, who chooses to shoot instead of playing in Di Maria. Ronaldo's effort goes horribly wide. Moments later Alonso is the first to be booked for a challenge on Messi.
27min: After keeping his cards in his pocket for the opening exchanges, the referee books his second player in quick succession. Sanchez is the receiver after a foul on Di Maria, who rolls around dramatically... again.
30min: GOAL! SANCHEZ - MADRID 1-1 BARCA. Messi finds Sanchez and the Chilean fires across Casillas to level up the scores. Great finish on his El Clasico debut. Game on.
32min: The noise inside the ground is now all being made by the 500, yes 500, travelling Barca fans. Every time you see Sanchez's goal in the replays it gets better and better.
35min: Barca are now finding it slightly easier to retain possession. Sanchez is clipped by Pepe and rolls around six or seven times! Free-kick given, which Casillas clears and then Messi is cautioned for something he said to the official.
39min: The match enters a scrappy stage in which both sides trade possession quickly. Madrid do seem shaken by Sanchez's equaliser.
41min: Neat football from Barca but the final ball from Iniesta is lacking and Messi's run is halted. Nearly in there as Barca go about stamping their authority on the match.
43min: Having been booked earlier in the match for back-chat, Messi brings down Alonso and the referee appears to reach for his pocket, only to pull away. The Argentine could have been off then and could have had no complaints.
HALF-TIME: It took Barca some time to settle, but once they did they began to look comfortable. What a start from Madrid and a brilliant leveller from Sanchez. Don't go anywhere, the next 45 minutes will be entertaining!
Elsewhere Inter Milan defeat Fiorentina 2-0 in the San Siro, while Cesena win 1-0 away at Palermo. Earlier this evening in La Liga, Real Betis sprung a shock by defeating Valencia 2-1, while Levante won 1-0 at home to Sevilla.
Second half underway: Mourinho and Guardiola decline the opportunity to make any changes to their lineups as the players return to the pitch. To use an old cliché: 'Big 45 minutes ahead for both teams.'
48min: Ronaldo, who has been far too quiet, runs at the Barca defence as it brought down by Pique, who goes into the referee's notebook. This is Ronaldo range... But he hits the wall. However, Pepe immediately wins another free-kick and Ronaldo will try again... The former Manchester United puffs out his cheek but shoots straight at Valdes, who holds the ball.
51min:Lassana Diarra, how does he not play more often for Madrid? A top performance in the engine room this evening. Mind you, as we type he brings down Sergio Busquets with a late challenge, no card given though.
53min: GOAL! XAVI - MADRID 1-2 BARCA. What an unfortunate goal for Madrid to concede. Xavi's strike from distance comes off an unexpecting Marcelo and squirms past Casillas via the post. Dear oh dear. You could hear a pin drop in the Bernabeu.
55min: Madrid respond with a neat move but Benzema's effort is deflected wide for a corner, which is cleared by Pique.
58min: Mourinho reacts to his side falling behind by bringing on Brazilian attacker Kaka for Ozil. Can the £50m rescue his side?
59min: Perhaps ominously for Madrid, Barca seem to moving through the gears. Neat passing between Messi and Sanchez almost releases the latter but Sergio Ramos retreats to wipe out the danger.
60min: Diarra gets the match confused for a rugby match as he hauls Xavi to ground. The former Chelsea and Arsenal man receives a yellow card for his troubles.
62min: And that was Diarra's last action of the match as he is replaced by German international Sami Khedira. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi lines up a free-kick 25 yards from goal... which flies just wide of the upright. Nearly 3-1.
65min: How has Ronaldo missed that?! He has to score! Alonso sends in a cross which Ronaldo meets six yards out but he nods the ball wide of goal. Horrible miss. Sums up his evening so far.
66min: GOAL! FABREGAS - MADRID 1-3 BARCELONA. That is how you do it Mr Ronaldo! Barca head up the other end following Ronaldo's miss, which ends with Fabregas heading in a superb cross from Dani Alves. Great team goal. It seems a long way back for the home side now.
68min: Mourinho plays his last card by introducing Gonzalo Higuain into the action in the place of Di Maria. It is the Argentine's birthday - will he make it one to remember?
70min: Madrid tempers are boiling over now. Ramos goes into the book for a late challenge on Messi.
72min: Barca look dangerous every time they go forward now. The next goal (if there is to be one) is massive in this.
75min: Should be game, set and match for Barca. Alves raids down the right again but Xavi heads wide despite being unmarked. Meanwhile, up the other end Benzema cuts inside but shoots just past the upright.
77min: You know we could have sworn Alves is primarily a right-back! However, the Brazilian has been the furthest forward in recent Barca attacks. Madness!
78min: First change for Barca. Goalscorer Fabregas comes off and Seydou Keita comes on.
81min: Great skill from Iniesta sees him glide past two players. He plays in Sanchez but the attacker is unable to get the ball under control and the opportunity evaporates.
83min: Another sub for Barca. Sanchez makes way for centre-forward David Villa.
84min: It was slightly unorthodox, but Valdes keeps out Kaka's left footed effort from 12 yards out. That would have set up an exciting last few minutes.
85min: Mayhem in the Madrid box which ends with neither Messi nor Iniesta being able to convert chances. Somehow Casillas pounces on the ball and Madrid are back on the attack.
88min: Final tactical switch by Guardiola which sees Pedro replace Iniesta, who has been superb during the second half.
90min: The match heads into stoppage time and in truth the lead looks more like being extended than shortened. Three minutes of time added-on to be played.
90+3min It took 93 minutes, but we've had our first spat between the players! Pique is involved, along with Marcelo and Puyol. The outcome is a free-kick which Alonso and Ronaldo stand over... but predictably Ronaldo finds the wall again.
FULL TIME: And there you have it. Barca prove they are still the team to beat in Spain with a thoroughly professional performance in the capital. Madrid started with a bang, but the game was decided on a bad, bad miss by Ronaldo. Barca go top.
> Click here for Sports Mole's full match report
Liam Apicella
